Mjøssjukehuset will be the third large hospital in Norway to be located outside the largest cities in its own county. On Monday it became clear that it is here, in Moelv, the town between Hamar, Gjøvik and Lillehammer, that the new large hospital in the county will be located. The hospital will be the workplace for around 4,000 people. In addition, there will be 600 bed posts in the house. Now several people fear the recruitment to the large hospital, which will be located in the fifth smallest city in the Inland with just under 4,460 inhabitants. Tired already In order to be able to fill the hospital with people with the right professional skills and professional environment, the Norwegian Nurses’ Association in Inlandet now demands that the recruitment problem be taken seriously. – It will be the joker, the biggest challenge, believes Ida Høiby, county manager of the Norwegian Nurses’ Association Innlandet. – We know that we are entering a time where we get fewer nurses, and it is unfortunately the case that they do not stay in the profession, she says. RECRUITMENT: Høiby believes the key to avoiding recruitment problems lies in ensuring good working conditions with good working time arrangements, professional environment and pay. Photo: Private Norway lacks 4,650 nurses and 700 specialist nurses, according to Nav’s Business Survey. Inland alone, there is now a shortage of 355 nurses and midwives. According to Statistics Norway, the shortage of nurses will increase in the coming years. Høiby believes that the challenge with recruitment applies regardless of where the hospital is located. – We will have so many fewer nurses in the future, so no matter what alternative you have, recruitment will be challenging, she says. Lost more than 20 per cent of employees At Kalnes, outside Sarpsborg, the new large hospital was ready in 2015. Øyvind Moksness, company trustee at Østfold Hospital, says that they lost a fifth of their employees when they moved into the new hospital eight years ago. – Mainly they went to the municipality, some chose to retire early, while others changed professions, says Moksness. MOVING PROCESS: Øyvind Moksness, a trustee at the Hospital in Østfold, was involved in the moving process when the hospital in Fredrikstad moved to the new main hospital at Kalnes outside Sarpsborg in 2015. Photo: Emil Johansen / news Today they also struggle with recruitment challenges, but he doesn’t think so is because the hospital is not in the city. – Now there are other things that come into play, such as, for example, working conditions, not necessarily the location, says Moksness. When the new large hospital in Innlandet is to be built, he believes it is important that the city be as attractive as possible for the employees. – There must be good working conditions and they must have the opportunity to get to and from work in a decent way. – Then the employer and the municipality or city must help make the town attractive and attract people. It must be a joint lift, says Moksness. TOO SMALL: The hospital at Kalnes outside Sarpsborg opened in 2015, but the new large hospital quickly proved to be too small. Photo: Gorm Kallestad Workplaces where people live Mayor of Hamar, Einar Busterud (BBL), believes there are several disadvantages to placing a new, large Mjøssjukehus in Moelv. He points in particular to recruitment challenges. – Two independent reports have said that one recruits worse to Moelv. A hospital without staff usually provides poor treatment, says Busterud. CRITICAL: Mayor of Hamar, Einar Busterud, is critical of Mjøssjukehuset being built in Moelv. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news County Governor Høiby wants Sykehuset Innlandet to be a robust and good employer now and in the future. – Then it is important that there are workplaces where the nurses live. – Do they live in Moelv? – Some live in Moelv, but we live quite widely. We live in cities and in the small towns around the cities, says the county leader. DECIDED: The hospitals in Hamar and Gjøvik will be closed down. There will also be Sanderud psychiatric hospital in Stange and Reinsvoll psychiatric hospital in Vestre Toten. The new main hospital in Innlandet will be in Moelv. Illustration: Marte Iren Noreng Trøen/news Ulla Higdem, professor of social planning, thinks that can change. The professor believes that the decision that the hospital will be located between the three coastal towns will have a lot to say about where people choose to live in the coming years. – I would guess that Moelv will be a relatively much larger city in the future, she says.
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Nurses’ union worried about recruitment for new Mjøssjukehus in Moelv – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
